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Chemical spills

Chemical spills. Prevention, Assessment, Reporting and Cleanup. Objectives. Create Awareness of State and Federal OSHA & EPA regulations that affect spill clean-up. Explain responsibilities. Provide strategies to prevent spills: Assess hazards presented by spills. Report spills when needed.

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Chemical spills

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  1. Chemical spills Prevention, Assessment, Reporting and Cleanup

  2. Objectives • Create Awareness of State and Federal OSHA & EPA regulations that affect spill clean-up. • Explain responsibilities. • Provide strategies to prevent spills: • Assess hazards presented by spills. • Report spills when needed. • Clean-up spills when appropriate.

  3. Regulations • OSHA 1910.120 - Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. • Very specific training and procedures are mandatory for reporting of and response to chemical spills that are considered HazMat incidents. • A HazMat spill is one where there is an immediate danger to life and health. • Most dock spills are not HazMat incidents. • Numerous EPA regulations control hazardous waste.

  4. Responsibilities • Employees are responsible for: • Ensuring spills are reported or cleaned up in a timely manner. • Cleaning up nuisance spills of materials in their area, even if someone else spills them(janitors, service people). • Knowing the properties of the materials they are working with. • Taking reasonable steps to prevent spills. • HazMat team will: • Clean-up serious (HazMat) spills.

  5. Nuisance Spills • Spills of: • Less than 2 gal. of material that you know the • Hazards of and are comfortable cleaning up: • Assess the hazard. • Wear appropriate PPE. • If you are unsure of the hazard of a spill or need assistance with PPE selection call Safety.

  6. Potentially Hazardous Spills • Spills of: • Greater than 4 gallons. • Smaller spills of materials of: • Low LD50 • Carcinogens • Flammable liquids or metals • Compounds of unknown toxicity

  7. Preventing Spills • Eliminate clutter. • Know proper work practices for chemical materials you use. • Use unbreakable secondary containers. • Store chemicals properly. • Dispose of waste and excess chemicals in a timely manner.

  8. Preparation • What are the physical and toxicological properties of the chemical materials you use? • What is the worst thing that could happen if you dropped/spilled a bottle of each chemical you use? • Inconvenience • Skin burns • Fire • Chemical exposure ( fatality? permanent injury?)

  9. Hazards • Toxic • Flammable • Caustic • Reactive/Explosive • Radioactive • Other?

  10. You are the expert on the hazards of materials in your possession. • Know properties of chemicals you use before you handle them. • Know what appropriate work practices are & use them. • Know what the worst case scenario is for a spill of the chemicals you use. • Think about how you will react to a spill of the materials you use. • Know what appropriate clean-up procedures are for the materials you use.

  11. Toxic Materials • Assessing the risks due to the toxic effects of chemicals: • Route of exposure • Acute Toxicants • Corrosive Substances, Irritants and Allergens • Carcinogens • Infectious materials

  12. Examples of materials with a High Level of Acute Toxicity • Acrolein • Diazomethane • Hydrogen cyanide • Hydrogen fluoride • Biological toxins; Tetrodotoxin, snake venoms

  13. Toxicity of commonly used chemicals

  14. Flammability Hazards • Location, location, location • Ignition sources • Ventilation • Other fuels in the area • Don’t store more than 10 gallons of flammable liquids outside of flammable liquid storage cabinets.

  15. Flash Point - The lowest temperature at which a liquid has sufficient vapor pressure to form an ignitable mixture with air near the surface of the liquid

  16. Caustic Chemical Hazards • Acids & Bases (organic and inorganic) • ex. : HCl, • Permanent eye damage. • Skin burns • Inhalation hazards • Know the differences in hazards between concentrated vs. dilute solutions.

  17. Chemical Spill Response Nuisance Spill • Alert people in immediate area of spill. • Wear appropriate protective gloves, goggles, apron. • Avoid breathing vapors from the spill. • Confine spill to small area& absorb on absorbent pads &/or kitty litter. • Clean spill area with soap & water. • Collect all contaminated absorbent, gloves & residues in plastic bag lined garbage can. • Label and dispose of properly (call Environmental).

  18. Chemical Spill Response Potentially Hazardous Spill • Attend to injured or contaminated persons and remove them from the exposure if you can do so without endangering yourself. • Alert persons in the immediate area to evacuate. • If spilled material is flammable, turn off heat and ignition sources. • Call Spill Emergency contractor. • Close doors to affected area. • Have a person knowledgeable of incident assist HazMat personnel.

  19. Estimating Potential Hazards • Research hazards before you use a new chemical. • Consider the toxicity, flammability, physical state and the amount of the material involved. • Consider the location of the spill. • Consider your knowledge and skills. • Ask for help in estimating hazards call Safety.

  20. Summary • Know the properties of all the hazardous materials you handle • Prevent spills • If a potentially hazardous spill occurs, protect people first, evacuate & ask for help • Call for EMERGENCY spill/fire assistance • Call Safety for information and non-emergency assistance • You are responsible for reporting or cleaning up spills of materials you use

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